1. Technical Field
The invention relates to image processing apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile machine, and a printer. In particular, the invention relates to a method for displaying a list of plural pieces of stored image data while switching between a list form and a thumbnail form.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multi-function copiers that function as various apparatus such as a scanner, a facsimile machine, and a printer can not only print read-in image data but also designate stored image data to perform on the designated image data such image processing as re-printing, image combining, or page editing (insertion or deletion). In performing such operation, displaying a list of stored image data allows a user to select (designate) image data he or she wants to manipulate.
In general, a list-form display method and a thumbnail-form display method are available as a method for displaying a list of stored image data.
The list form (or ladder form) is a display form in which only a list of plural pieces of image information such as a document name and a registration date and time is displayed. The thumbnail form is a display form in which rough, reduced images of image data are displayed together with their image information.
Although the list-form display method can display a lot of image data together, it is difficult for a user to understand the contents of displayed image data because the user is obliged to judge the contents of each image data on the basis of only such information as an amount of data and a recording date and time. On the other hand, although the thumbnail-form display method allows a user to understand the contents of image data because of display of their reduced images, the number of image data that can be displayed together is smaller than in the list-form display method.